The procedure used to diagnose and treat by visualizing the inside of the airways is called?

• A. Bronchoscopy
• B. Bronchitis
• C. Asthma
• D. Atelectasis

Answer: (A)

Visualizing the inside of the airways to diagnose and sometimes treat problems is done with bronchoscopy. A bronchoscope—a thin, lighted tube with a camera—is inserted through the nose or mouth and threaded down into the trachea and bronchi. This direct view allows clinicians to see abnormalities, take tissue or fluid samples, remove mucus or foreign bodies, and even perform therapies like suctioning or guiding instruments for treatment. That combination of diagnosing and treating through direct visualization is what makes bronchoscopy the correct choice.

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes that causes coughing and mucus production, not a procedure. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways causing reversible obstruction, not a tool for visualization. Atelectasis is the collapse of part or all of a lung, also not a visualization procedure.